Issue #2514

• WEALTHY: When popular isn’t the best and other keyword “rules” (Edwin Huertas)
• HEALTHY: Yogurt and your waistline (Kelley Herring)
• WISE: Malcolm Forbes on getting attention

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

• My unexpected “pack-your-bag” moments from Bootcamp (Judith Strauss)
• ake the correct choice when using these three common words. (Don Hauptman)
• It’s Good to Know… why the microbrew industry continues to thrive (Jason Holland)
• Add “ukase” to your vocabulary

== Highly Recommended ==

Build Wealth from Your Living Room Sofa

There’s no reason why you can’t wake up not long from today to find that your bank account has grown by $1000… $5,000… even $10,000 while you were sleeping.

All this from your new Information Marketing income stream.

Now’s your chance to get a clear and easy-to-follow model for building your own Information Marketing powerhouse.

It’s the very same model that’s been used by Early to Rise and our colleagues…

• Yanik Silver has sold more than $10,000,000 of information products online, despite minimal knowledge of web design and HTML…

• One business Marc Charles helped build produced more than $6 million in sales in 36 months with a start-up budget of less than $2000…

• And Michael Masterson himself has been involved with starting over a dozen info-marketing businesses… each now bringing in anywhere from $1 million to $20 million a year. Not to mention the $300 million Information Publishing giant he’s helped build over the past few years.

The best part for you?

All you need to get started on ethically “copying” their success is a computer, an Internet connection, and our power-packed ETR 2008 Info-Marketing Bootcamp DVD Library.

Reserve your exclusive personal copy and get going today!

“Attention? It’s more fun to get than to give.”

Malcolm Forbes

Targeting the RIGHT Keywords for Your SEO Campaign

By Edwin Huertas

Keywords are the most basic components of search engine optimization (SEO). Once you know how to use them, you can drive your site to the top of the search engines… get more targeted traffic to your website… more sign-ups… and, eventually, make more sales.

Keywords describe your content – what your website is about. They should be embedded in each and every one of your Web pages to allow search engines to find your site. For example, ETR’s website keywords might include business tips, business advice, home business, and so on.

Now picking keywords to help optimize your site involves a little more than just thumping out a list. You have to do a little research. But it’s not very time-consuming. And it can have huge returns.

In my experience, researching words that are suited to your product prior to beginning your SEO work will give you a better perspective for performing your SEO tasks. And you don’t have to optimize your site for the broadest, most popular keywords around.

Popular Is Not Always Best

I would NEVER begin my SEO process before carefully researching the absolute best keywords to use. After all, what good is it to optimize your website if your potential customers hardly ever search for the words you’ve chosen? Some website owners optimize for words THEY think are important. But the simple fact is that YOUR words might have a low search volume… or may never be searched at all.

I started optimizing websites over 10 years ago (before most people knew what search engine optimization was), and it always drove me crazy when a client would want to rank for a “single” keyword and nothing else. If, for instance, you have a website that sells hiking equipment and you try to rank only for “hiking equipment,” you’ll miss out on a lot of targeted visitors. There are literally hundreds (if not thousands) of keyword combinations you could use to develop a good keyword list – like “snow shoes,” “hiking boots,” “walking sticks,” “lightweight tents,” and so on.

Limiting yourself to single keywords is not the way to go. Those keywords are likely to be highly competitive – so, by using them, you’ll have a hard time getting your website within the top 10 results of a search engine. As a result, they’ll get you almost no traffic. Instead, generate a broader range of keywords and spread them throughout your site’s Web pages.

When researching and developing a good keyword list, you can make your job much easier by taking the following into account:

• The competition you will face for a particular keyword. Don’t be afraid to use keywords that are not searched for as often as the more popular ones.

Let’s use the keyword “mortgages” as an example. If you type “mortgages” into Google, you’ll get around 86 million results. So sites optimized for this single keyword are competing with over 86 million other websites for the same traffic. But sites targeting “New York mortgages” instead are competing with only 5 million other websites. And sites targeting even narrower sets of keywords have an even better chance of ranking higher in the search engines… and getting more targeted traffic.

• The specificity of the search term. When people search for a single keyword, they usually get too many results – and not always the results they are looking for. So most, fine-tune their searches by including more words.

Let’s say you own a bakery that specializes in cupcakes. If a potential customer for your cupcakes searches the word “bakery” on Google, they will be presented with nearly 40 million results. If they fine-tune their search to “cupcake bakery,” Google will return less than two million results (which makes the searcher’s job a lot easier). At the same time, by being more specific with your keywords (”cupcake bakery” instead of “bakery”), you get less competition from other bakeries. That means your chances of attaining a good search engine position will be higher… and you’ll be more likely to attract a customer who will buy from you.

How to Pick the Best Keywords for Your Site

There are many free online resources you can use to find the right keywords for your site. Just do a search for “keyword tool” on any search engine and you’ll have plenty of options. I like Word Tracker (wordtracker.com), but you might prefer one of the following:

• adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
• keywordspy.com
• keyworddiscovery.com
• tools.seobook.com/keyword-tools/seobook/
• selfseo.com/keyword_suggestion_tool.php
• submitexpress.com/keytracker.php

I once took on a client who was trying his hardest to get his site to the top of the search engines. He manufactured prefabricated steel structures, and had been hoping to achieve high search engine ranking with a few variations of the keyword “steel buildings.”

By doing my research, I found that many people were searching for relevant keywords that he had never even considered. For instance, more people searched for “metal buildings” than “steel buildings.” And there were thousands who searched for “steel pole barns,” “metal garages,” and “metal carports.”

We reworked his SEO efforts, focusing on the alternatives I had found. And in less than two months, his site was getting lots of new traffic and leads from people looking up those keywords. For one of them – “metal carport”- he ranked in the top 5 spots on most major search engines. And that, alone, brought in about 500 new visitors per day.

Remember… there are probably thousands of keyword combinations you can use for your website. Even if the keywords you choose aren’t the most popular… or don’t get millions of searches every day… they can still help drive thousands of targeted visitors directly to your site.

So take your time and do it right. Compiling the perfect combination of keywords for your website will help you immensely with your SEO efforts.

[Ed. Note: Search engine optimization may sound complicated... but it's a fairly simple way to increase your traffic and, eventually, your sales. For more SEO strategies - plus dozens of other money-making marketing techniques you can put to work right away - order your copy of ETR's 2008 Info Marketing Bootcamp "Home Edition" DVD set. You can get $100,000 ideas from some of the top experts in Internet marketing. But order now - the price goes up $200 after today.

Send your SEO questions to AskETR@ETRFeedback.com. Include your name and hometown, and one of ETR's SEO experts just may answer your question in an upcoming issue.]

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How a Simple Internet Mistake Can Make You $3,012 in Just Two Days

Actually, you could make more, even faster.  By complete accident, one of my colleagues discovered a “back door” to online money-making that is faster and easier than you may imagine…

You don’t have to be pinching pennies anymore because this new online program for raking in some good money works in almost no time flat. That $3,012? My colleague made that in only an hour. No hype, no kidding. Read on to discover how you could do the same starting right now.

ETR Insider Report: My Unexpected “Pack-Your-Bag” Moments From Bootcamp

By Judith Strauss, ETR’s Senior Editor

As I settled into my seat on the first day of Bootcamp, I wasn’t expecting to hear any ideas I wasn’t already familiar with. After all, I edit every issue of Early to Rise – which means I’ve edited articles written by all the experts whose Bootcamp presentations I was about to watch.

Then Alex Mandossian – Bootcamp’s official emcee – jumped on stage and kicked things off by super-charging an already charged-up audience. And he introduced a concept I’d never heard before: He told us to keep our ears open for what he called “pack-your-bags” moments. By that, he meant ideas that hit you so hard you feel that you have already learned something that was well worth the price of admission – that you could happily pack your bags right then and there and go home.

As I said, I didn’t expect to hear anything I didn’t already know. In fact, I hadn’t even bothered to bring my program notebook to that first session. But within minutes, I was grabbing for a pad of paper and a pen. And I didn’t stop scribbling down new ideas from that point forward.

Ideas like these…

• From Brian Edmondson: One big difference between traditional marketing and Internet marketing is the way you look at your competitors. With traditional marketing, they’re usually your enemies. With Internet marketing, they’re all potential partners.

• From MaryEllen Tribby: Insert space is an underutilized marketing channel. If you don’t have a physical product, you probably know someone who does. So… make a deal with them to put an insert (a brochure or other sales material) for your digital product into the fulfillment package they send to their customers.

• From Rich Schefren: Social media put you in direct contact with your market. With a blog, for example, you have a constant conversation with your buyers and prospective buyers – which can automatically turn them into a strong marketing channel for you.

And lots, lots more.

If you were at Bootcamp, you know what I’m talking about. If you weren’t, I strongly urge you to get ETR’s “Bootcamp Home Edition DVD Set“… and watch every single one. (By the way, the price goes up $200 after today, so hurry and get your order in NOW.)

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Cinch Your Waist… With Bacteria

By Kelley Herring

You probably already know that healthy bacteria (called probiotics) found in yogurt, kefir, and other foods are good for your insides. They help your body absorb nutrients, enhance immune function, defend against cancer, and much more.

In addition, these “good bugs” can help you sculpt a leaner body, according to recent research published in the International Journal of Obesity.

In fact, when obese people followed a reduced-calorie diet including three 6-ounce servings of calcium-rich yogurt a day, they lost a hefty 61 percent more fat overall. What’s more, they lost 81 percent more fat around their waists compared with those who didn’t eat yogurt.

So go ahead and dig into some creamy organic plain yogurt (like Stonyfield Farms), topped with berries and sweetened with all-natural stevia for a delicious way to look better and stay healthy too.

[Ed. Note: "Health food" doesn't have to taste like cardboard. You can find recipes for plenty of wholesome, healthful meals - plus get the latest breakthroughs in health and fitness - in ETR's natural health newsletter. Sign up for free right here.

And keep your weight in check as the holidays approach with Kelley's brand-new recipe e-books, Guilt-Free Desserts and Healthy Holiday Hors d'Oeuvres. You'll find 60+ healthy recipes you can easily make at home.]

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The Language Perfectionist: Because, Since, As

By Don Hauptman

Writers are sometimes puzzled about whether to use “because,” “since,” or “as” to indicate a connection between two events.

An old rule commands that “since” be used exclusively for events involving the passage of time, but this ukase is debunked by most grammarians. Other experts say that “since” implies a more tenuous cause-effect relationship than “because.”

But I have a different take on the matter. In my own writing, I avoid “since” wherever “because” works. This helps prevent ambiguity and the possibility of miscuing the reader. Consider the sentence “Since the negative earnings report was published, the stock declined.” Does the writer mean that one event caused the other – or simply that time elapsed between them?

As for “as,” this word may also communicate a confusing or ambiguous message. Example: “As I’m traveling to Chicago, I can run that errand for you.” Does the “as” here mean “because” or “while”? If “because” makes sense, use it instead of “as.”

[Ed Note: For more than three decades, Don Hauptman was an award-winning independent direct-response copywriter and creative consultant. He is author of The Versatile Freelancer, an e-book recently published by AWAI that shows writers and other creative professionals how to diversify their careers into speaking, consulting, training, and critiquing.]

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It’s Good to Know: Forget the Price of Oil… What About My Beer?

By Jason Holland

As Charlie Byrne and Alexis Siemon (the two other microbrew fans in the office) know all too well, due to a worldwide shortage of hops, prices for craft beers have gone up over the past year.

When prices for hops quintupled (at least), many of our favorite microbrewers had to pass on the increase to consumers. And that could have put some of the smaller operations out of business. But they were saved by their competitors – yes, their competitors.

Both Boston Beer (Sam Adams) and Sierra Nevada, the big players in the craft beer world, came to the rescue. They made their stockpiles of hops available at cost to small breweries, cutting the market price by a fifth or more.

It was enough to make 75 million pints.

Keeping their competitors alive was smart – because, unlike mainstream beer drinkers, microbrew connoisseurs love to try a variety of beers. And that will include Boston Beer and Sierra Nevada brews. So, by keeping the smaller breweries going, Boston Beer and Sierra Nevada are ensuring that their entire industry will grow and thrive, even in tough times.

It may seem counterintuitive that you can grow your own business by “helping” your competitors. But remember: A rising tide lifts all boats. As Michael Masterson wrote in Early to Rise several years ago:

“Most business universes are expandable. If a new guy comes into your neighborhood and starts competing with you don’t assume that you are in danger. Every dollar he spends advertising his wares is a dollar spent advertising your wares too. The greater the combined promotional enthusiasm there is the stronger the interest will be, particularly in the minds of people who were not buyers previously.”

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== Highly Recommended ==

How to Make It Rain

Every company is looking for their next rainmaker.

You know who I’m talking about… That special man or woman who has an uncanny ability to make it “rain” money.

Some of the biggest rainmakers in the U.S. (otherwise known as Marketing Directors) earned an average of $1.49 million in 2007, according to research from AdAge and executive-compensation research firm Equilar. (That figure includes salary, bonuses, stock options, and stock awards.)

Learn how to make it rain, and businesses big and small will climb all over each other to throw money your way.

Find out exactly what you need to become a rainmaker in your own right…

Word to the Wise: Ukase

“Ukase” (yoo-KASE) – from the Russian for “command” – is any proclamation by an absolute or arbitrary authority. In imperial Russia, it was an order by the czar that had the force of law.

Example (as used by Don Hauptman today): “An old rule commands that ’since’ be used exclusively for events involving the passage of time, but this ukase is debunked by most grammarians.”

[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker ... build your self-confidence and intellect ... increase your attractiveness to others ... just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR's new Words to the Wise CD Library.]

Copyright ETR, LLC, 2008

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This entry was posted on Saturday, November 15th, 2008 at 5:10 am and is filed under Daily Issues .